Man And His Symbols

There was an article the other day in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution in which the local head of the NAACP called for the removal of all confederate symbols and remnants from Stone Mountain. For those of you who do not know, Stone Mountain is a large granite mountain just outside of Atlanta. Among those things to be struck off, the NAACP would have us remove the images of three confederate generals atop their horses, which are carved into the face of the mountain.  

Atlanta is a unique place. Not only was it the birthplace of Martin Luther King, but it was also the place in which Margret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. It was the site of many of the fiercest battles of the Civil War, and there are monuments and plaques commemorating those battles throughout the metropolitan area. Stone Mountain Park is one of those places, and every summer, thousands of visitors tour the park. They learn a little about Civil War history along the way. But in the current climate, it appears anything confederate must go. So the images of proud confederate generals riding into battle must be purged from our state and national parks, along with the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.

There is no doubt that symbols are important. They convey the establishment of an ideology. A cross, for example, standing on top of a hill, conveys the message that Christians are welcome there. An American flag on the back of a pickup truck conveys patriotism. The battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, also known as the Confederate Flag, conveys different things to different people. That was the flag flown during an untold number of civil rights atrocities. It was the flag flown at Klan rallies and in defiance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That flag has a violent history, both as a battle flag during the civil war and also during reconstruction, but that violent history does not necessarily define the symbol.

It was the American flag that flew as General Sherman exterminated the Native Americans in the war to conquer the west. The American flag flew over Japanese internment camps during World War II. The American flag flew as the atomic bomb was dropped on civilians, as Tokyo and Berlin were firebombed, and as villages were relocated in Vietnam. We do not, however, remove the American flag from our capitals or our pick up trucks. Why? Because the flag is a representation of who we are, both good and bad. One can be a patriot and still acknowledge that the American flag flew over historical events that have been characterized by many as atrocities. We guard our symbols because they convey our history.

President Obama was going to be transformative. He was going to heal the racial wounds in our society, and bring people of all colors together. Instead, his Justice Department has been racially divisive, and the President himself stumbles into difficult situations and makes them worse with racially charged rhetoric. President Obama has failed African Americans as a leader. African Americans are even more impoverished than they were when he took office. Race riots are worse. Incidents of police brutality are perceived by the African American community to be on the rise. Having failed to address the core issues underlying racial tensions, having squandered the opportunity to bring real change and power to the African American community, all that is left is to tear down the symbols. 

It is a sad truth that the civil rights movement in this country has been reduced to removing flags and destroying monuments in state parks. The phrase "Black Lives Matter" demonstrates the inertia the movement faces. The reduction of civil rights to a statement of the obvious is telling. The opportunity for real change was lost, and some must find symbolic victories to justify the emotional energy and trust placed in President Obama.

So tear down the symbols. Rewrite the history. Replace the faces on our money. Purge the South of any remnant of its conflicted past. Ignore any part of the history of the Confederacy, beyond slavery. Stamp out any remaining notion that the South has any right to quiet rebellion against a big northern government with little use for a few rednecks. As the symbolic victories mount, however, the chance for real victories diminishes even further. Symbolic victories are always expensive, they accomplish little, and they almost always come at the sacrfice of other objectives. Real change doesn't come from pealing flags off the bumpers of cars. It comes from signficiant disussion and compromise. Real change is never as easy as tearing up a granite mountain.